XN000022-1981-08-20 — Page 3

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 1981

TURNING TO WATER FROM CHINA, MR TUCKER SAID THAT UNDER THE AGREEMENT SIGNED IN MAY LAST YEAR, MORE WATER WOULD BE MADE AVAILABLE FROM 1983, INCREASING BY ANNUAL INCREMENTS OF ABOUT 35 MILLION CUBIC METRES TO 620 MILLION CUBIC METRES A YEAR IN THE MID-1990S.

+FOR COMPARISON, THIS FIGURE IS GREATER THAN OUR TOTAL CONSUMPTION AT THE PRESENT TIME. I SHOULD STRESS, HOWEVER, THAT THIS FIGURE IS NOT LIMITING AND THE AGREEMENT ALLOWS FOR DISCUSSION FOR FURTHER SUPPLIES BEYOND THE AMOUNT OF 620 MILLION CUBIC METRES CONTAINED IN THE CURRENT AGREEMENT, HE SAID.

+AT PRESENT, WATER FROM CHINA REPRESENTS ABOUT 30 PER CENT OF OUR CONSUMPTION AND THIS SOURCE WILL BE MORE THAN TREBLED OVER THE NEXT 14 YEARS TO BECOME ABOUT 60 PER CENT OF THE ESTIMATED DEMAND IN THE MID-1990S.+

MR TUCKER SAID THAT THIS INCREASE WOULD REQUIRE SUBSTANTIAL WORK IN CHINA AND HONG KONG. WORK HAD BEGUN IN GUANGDONG PROVINCE, WITH A VIEW TO COMPLETION IN FOUR TO FIVE YEARS.

TO RECEIVE AND DISTRIBUTE THE WATER IN HONG KONG, THREE STAGES HAD BEEN IDENTIFIED TO MEET DEMAND UP TO 1986, 1990 AND 1994 AT PRESENT-DAY ESTIMATES OF $698 MILLION, $377 MILLION AND $134 MILLION, A TOTAL OF $1.2 BILLION.

+THE WORK FOR THE FIRST STAGE IS QUITE EXTENSIVE AND INCLUDES THE NEW RIVER CROSSING AT SHENZHEN- RECEPTION TANKS AND PUMP I NG STATION AT MUK WU- AN AQUEDUCT FROM MUK WỤ TO TAI LAM CHUNG RESERVOIR A TUNNEL FROM PAT HEUNG TO YAU KAM TAU IN TSUEN WAN AND FOUR PUMPING STATIONS: ONE EACH AT AU TAU, FAN KAM ROAD NEAR THE GOLF CLUB, LOWER SHING MUN AND TAI PO TAU, MR TUCKER SAID.

HE SAID THE WATER SUPPLY FROM CHINA WAS BEING INCREASED IN THE CURRENT SUPPLY PERIOD BY 30 MILLION CUBIC METRES.

THIS WAS BEING ACHIEVED BY EXTENDING THE SUPPLY PERIOD BY ONE MONTH TO THE END OF AUGUST AND BY MAINTAINING A HIGH LEVEL OF DELIVERY.

NORMALLY, CHINA SUPPLIED WATER FOR 10 MONTHS OF THE YEAR FROM OCTOBER 1 TO JULY 31, ALLOWING TWO MONTHS FOR MAINTENANCE.

+FOR THIS YEAR THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES HAVE AGREED TO CURTAIL THE SHUTDOWN TO ONE MONTH, THIS BEING THE MINIMUM PERJOD NECESSARY FOR CARRYING OUT WORKS ON THE IR SYSTEM, + MR TUCKER SAID.

+AS A POINT OF INTEREST, THE SUPPLY PERIOD WILL BE CHANGED NEXT YEAR SO AS TO OPERATE FROM MAY 1 TO FEBRUARY 28 THE FOLLOWING YEAR.+

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